The salvage operation moved with practiced efficiency. Warriors rifled through the bodies of the fallen creatures, collecting weapons, armor, and anything else that might prove useful. Mages harvested mana cores from the more powerful corpses, storing them in spatial rings and inventories for later processing.
Cain supervised from a distance, his enhanced senses monitoring the perimeter for threats while his mind catalogued the resources being recovered. The mercenary force had been well-equipped, much better than he'd expected for what was essentially hired muscle. That suggested backing from someone with significant resources.
Which meant more trouble down the line, probably. But that was a problem for later.
"Boss."
Cain turned to find Steve approaching, his expression troubled. The researcher had mostly stayed back during the actual fighting, but he'd been instrumental in coordinating the support elements during the battle.
"What is it?"
